School board replaces principals

Madisonville CISD Superintendent Keith Smith announced the hire of two new principals during a school board meeting Monday.

Tawnya Nail, the wife of newly-hired Athletic Director Rusty Nail, will lead the intermediate school, while Chad Moorhead of Round Rock was tapped to helm the junior high.

“I feel like we have a tremendous leadership team in place here,” Smith said. “It is like a big family. I really, really look forward to the fall.”

The administration has been shuffled this year due to the retirement of former Intermediate School Principal Marc Hodges and resignation of High School Principal Shaye Murphy, who was hired to be principal in his hometown of Slaton.

Former Junior High Principal Heath Brown will move up to high school principal, and Dr. Rhodena Brooks will stay in place as leader of the elementary school.

Tawnya Nail, who most recently served as middle school principal for the Mart school district, has had a long-standing career as a teacher and counselor and taught as an adjunct professor at Tarleton State and Concordia univiersities.

“Rusty started his career [in Madisonville] 24 years ago,” Nail told the school board this week. “We’re very glad to be back here.”

The Nails have two sons in college, and their daughter Alyssa will be a freshman at Madisonville High School.

Smith said Nail’s experience would be valuable to the local district.

“We looked at her campus,” he said. “Her kids look like our kids and act like our kids.”

Moorhead grew up in Leander, which he described as a one-horse town that now has six high schools. He studied at Angelo State University, University of Houston and Lamar University. Most recently, he served as assistant athletic director for Round Rock ISD. His wife Lauren is a graduate of Texas Tech University.

“We’re about to start a family,” Moorhead said Monday. “We’re excited about this opportunity. It’s going to be a good deal.”

Superintendent Smith agreed.

“Welcome,” he told the new principals. “You’ll be a blessing to us and we’ll be a blessing to you … I really feel like we have the best leadership team we’ve ever had.”